Hello friends:

My apologies for not blogging as much this summer as I did last year. There are a few reasons for this, but the biggest is that I'm trying to take things as they come and not plan as much as I did previously. This, combined with my older daughter becoming more teenage-like by the minute (and therefore wanting to do more on her own) combined with me having to work more this summer has cramped my blog so far.

A few updates: K (my 6 year old daughter) is now the proud owner of her own betta fish. She has been asking for 'a pet of her very own' for some time now, so this seemed like a good option. We have an elderly cat, but she belongs to everyone (and mom does all of the care and feeding for her). As we drove past That Fish Place one day, K announced that she'd like a fish. I realized that she had enough allowance saved up to get one, and we could resurrect our old fish tank from the garage. "Mr. Blue", our betta, seems to be happy in his new home. K is delighted and has been very serious about his care. I hope that will last!

We continue to work on piano, but are not as diligent as we should be. J gets frustrated easily because she wants it to be perfect right away. She's so like her mother (sigh). But she will still go to the piano and noodle on it. K enjoys it and continues to amaze me with how well she grasps it and remembers things, even with the irregularity of our sessions. We are using Jon Schmidt's "67 Fun Songs" and "67 Fun Songs Primer", which can be found at www.jonschmidt.com. The books tout that a parent can teach a child themselves for about a year without experience. I'm finding that's a mostly true statement, although I think knowing how to read music already has given me an upper hand, and allowed me to modify a few things to suit us. I do like that the songs really are fun and have interesting harmonizations that you want to play.

Finally, today K and I went to see "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer". It was showing at Colonial Park Mall for only $2 a ticket in the afternoon (check out www.funtimecinemas.com for locations in York, Lancaster, and Harrisburg). A lady in front of us paid for 2 adults, 4 kids, and popcorn for the kids, and still only paid $33! These theaters tend to show movies that have been out for several months, so there aren't any new releases. If you're like us, this hardly matters since we don't seem to get to the theater for opening weeks anyway. And you surely can't beat those prices!

The movie centers on Megan MacDonald's book character, Judy Moody, who is determined to have an exciting summer. She creates a race between her friends to score points for every exciting thing that they do. Unfortunately for Judy, none of her 'fun' plans seem to work out, but in the end, Judy realizes that fun is where you find it. Not a bad message to remember this summer for all of us.

So--even if you haven't rode the tallest rollercoaster, traveled to Borneo, ridden an elephant, or joined the circus this summer, don't worry. The time you spend with your kids is the best adventure for everyone, and the one all of you will cherish.

Take care--keep making those memories!